Friday, December 9, 2016

Today in Art: Post Script to a Screw-up


 
Yesterday I posted about my struggles in reproducing an old photo of my grandparents from in the 50s.  I'm trying to reproduce this photo, taken by my father, as a whole cloth quilt using Derwent Inktense  pencils on Pima cotton.

The chiaroscuro nature of this image turned out to be a real challenge for me.  My efforts have veered from making my grandparents look like corpses to making them look like charcoal burners.


With much sadness and frustration, I've rejected two prior efforts as substandard.  I'm now on my third try, and this one holds high stakes: I told myself that if the third effort wasn't good enough, it would be time to stop trying.

This is that latest effort as of the end of yesterday.  My grandfather looks like a toasted marshmallow.



Today, thanks to the impressive coverage power of the paint called titanium white, I've managed to make him look less sun-baked and more normal.



I'm feeling better about it.  Hopeful.  Still trying.  I know there are several serious artists among my contacts. 

Any suggestions?

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